Is Sammy Sosa Turning White?

Via Deadspin & AP Photo

Take a look at the photo on the left -- a recent photo of former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa we first came across on Deadspin the other day. It was shot at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas when the slugger attended the Latin Grammys 2009 Person Of The Year Event Honoring singer Juan Gabriel. In addition to the ghostly skin, it also looks like Sosa's had some eye work done, too. The nose still looks to be stock, but we guess each starts their rebuilding process differently. Nobody can deny he looks very, very different from how he did even a couple years ago, as seen in photo on the right, taken when he testified to Congress about performance enhancing drugs. Some speculate that Sosa may be suffering from vitiligo like Michael Jackson but, in this case, caused by years of alleged steroid use.

According to former Cubs employee Rebecca Polihronis -- who talks frequently with Sosa -- his appearance is the result of a recent spa treatment to rejuvenate his skin, "He is in the middle of doing a cleansing process to his skin. The picture is deceiving. He [Sosa] said, 'If you saw me in person, you would be surprised. When you see me in person, it is not going to seem like the picture.'"